ULTRA PUP N106KF accident near Belleville, Texas

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle-of-attack while turning back to the airport instead of landing straight ahead following a partial loss of engine power, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control. The reason for the partial loss of engine power could be not determined based on the available information.

NTSB analysis

The private pilot was taking off for a personal flight. The pilot reported that, just after takeoff, the engine started having problems and that the "motor was coming in and out." He attempted to return to the airport, but as he was turning the airplane, it departed controlled flight and subsequently impacted a field just west of the airport.

An on-scene examination of the airplane revealed that it had impacted the ground in a nose-low attitude. The airplane's right wing and main landing gear were separated from the fuselage, and two blades of the three-bladed propeller were broken off at the hub. About 10 gallons of fuel was found in the two wing tanks, which held about 14 gallons. Due to a federal government shutdown at the time of the accident, the engine was not retained, and a follow-on examination of the engine was not conducted. It is likely that, during the turn back to the airport following the partial loss of engine power, the pilot failed to maintain adequate airspeed and exceeded the airplane's critical angle-of-attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN14LA003 for the full record.